Just had the rear brake pads replaced after the car has only done 25K miles. Is it just me or is the mileage very low for rear brake pads? Fronts still appear (according to computer) to still have loads of life left in them.

Hi! the rear pads spend a lot of time managing the car in terms of anti skid and when doing fast corners etc, so they have a lot more use than the traditional rear pads so wear out quite quickly.
What does concern me though is the electronic parking brake, if it releases but not enough and the pads rest against the discs still allowing the wheels to turn will wear out the pads quicker.......just a thought given how they actuate!!!!

Raven....great points you raise. Didn't consider traction control and all that so thanks for pointing it out.

Regarding the electronic handbrake......good point there too. But how to check that it's actually releasing the pads sufficiently?

Thanks for your input.

The parking brake uses a threaded, locking rod to engage, when you release the parking brake it unscrews the rod back to the same place it started from, which would have been the Clarence the pads had when you applied them. Granted this probably be measured in nanometers. If they do not return to the starting point you will a brake error on the dash and/or console.

Raven....great points you raise. Didn't consider traction control and all that so thanks for pointing it out.

Regarding the electronic handbrake......good point there too. But how to check that it's actually releasing the pads sufficiently?

Thanks for your input.

Rubbish on the traction control explanation. 25K miles is too early without some problem: riding the brakes, improperly set from the factory, a mechanical or electrical fault, etc.

Who replaced the pads? What did the old pads look like? Were both L&R worn equally? What was the wear on the inside and outside pads? Did whomever replace the pads do any checks to ensure they are properly set after replacement?

Brakes are really dependent on driving style; how hard you drive, how hard you go into a corner, if you only brake hard in a straight line when you come to a stop at lights, etc.

Personally I've found the idrive conditional maintenance notices rather accurate. But mine started out with 50,000km life from new. Now after 5,000km, my rears are down to 45,000km but my fronts are still at 50,000km. Strange, but the pads do look like what the idrive say they should be.

Rubbish on the traction control explanation. 25K miles is too early without some problem: riding the brakes, improperly set from the factory, a mechanical or electrical fault, etc.

Who replaced the pads? What did the old pads look like? Were both L&R worn equally? What was the wear on the inside and outside pads? Did whomever replace the pads do any checks to ensure they are properly set after replacement?

HerrK it would be good if you could advise us on how traction control works??? given that you have said traction control is a rubbish explanation for the wear of rear brake pads!!!!

HerrK it would be good if you could advise us on how traction control works??? given that you have said traction control is a rubbish explanation for the wear of rear brake pads!!!!

Well for starters your confusing DSC with DTC. DTC is a subset of DSC. You have to minimize the DSC which activates the DTC. Sport and Sport+ have different levels of combined DSC and DTC control active. Sport+ = DCS minimized (not full off) & DTC full on.

DSC does activate various brake calipers individually to help keep the vehicle under control based on feedback from the pitch/yaw sensors and individual wheel speed rotation input sensors. In addition throttle/engine control is activated. DSC is not just controlling rear brakes. So I would not expect this abnormal rear brake wear as described

Maybe if you drive aroung full bore every minute with the car in "sport+" mode you will experience abnormal rear brake wear. I don't get that impression of driving style from the OP's statements, but you know what happens when you ASS-U-ME.

Study this document, I'll post some quiz questions tomorrow (just kidding). Good reading on EMF and other controls

Well for starters your confusing DSC with DTC. DTC is a subset of DSC. You have to minimize the DSC which activates the DTC. Sport and Sport+ have different levels of combined DSC and DTC control active. Sport+ = DCS minimized (not full off) & DTC full on.

DSC does activate various brake calipers individually to help keep the vehicle under control based on feedback from the pitch/yaw sensors and individual wheel speed rotation input sensors. In addition throttle/engine control is activated. DSC is not just controlling rear brakes. So I would not expect this abnormal rear brake wear as described

Maybe if you drive aroung full bore every minute with the car in "sport+" mode you will experience abnormal rear brake wear. I don't get that impression of driving style from the OP's statements, but you know what happens when you ASS-U-ME.

Study this document, I'll post some quiz questions tomorrow (just kidding). Good reading on EMF and other controls

Herrk! It is great when someone rises to the bait, clearly well informed, you have made me smile!!! however whilst all of those electronic controls are used to manage the vehicle traction they still use the rear brake pads to a greater extent to control rear wheel traction, given we also have rear wheel drive!!
What I truly do not like is the mode of use of the electronic parking brake, it is a neat feature ie pull a switch, but I do not believe that this is the way forward as in the past I did have a car where the brakes failed and the only way to stop the car was to pull on the handbrake!!! Plus no more handbrake turns.......

Raven, you are correct that we can't use the parking brake to motivate the rear end around. However, if you pull up on the switch and hold it up the brakes will engage to slow the car to a stop in an emergency situation. It is listed as such on page 49 of my manual (2012). Yes, I have never tried that feature out!

Raven, you are correct that we can't use the parking brake to motivate the rear end around. However, if you pull up on the switch and hold it up the brakes will engage to slow the car to a stop in an emergency situation. It is listed as such on page 49 of my manual (2012). Yes, I have never tried that feature out!

I've tried the EMF at slow speeds less than 15 mph. You have to physically hold up the switch to activate and as soon as you release the switch the brakes release. Unfortunately as you stated no power sliding assists with the EMF brake as all four wheel brakes are activated in the dynamic emergency braking mode. I didn't held it on long enough to see if the ABS becomes active - I assume it will. The RFT's are nearing the end of their life so I make that a test before I throw them away.

I dont reall think that I drive that spirited to be honest. Don't really have the opportunity in and around London, and certainly when my better half is in the car with me.

However, only yesterday I noticed that the computer was telling me I needed a service in 9000 miles. Went into the vehicle status menus on the computer and it's telling me that the rear pads need replacing in 9000 miles!!! Fronts, FYI still have 24000 miles left (they have yet to be changed from when the car was purchased new).

Now this raised the question: given that I only changed the rears pads a week ago, can I really only have 9000 miles left in them?

@Raven333: rears tyres are pretty much at the limit now and I will be looking to replace them in the next couple of weeks.